Satellite internet firms oppose India's draft telecom licensing rules
Big satellite internet names like Hughes, OneWeb, Nelco, and Viasat aren't happy with India's draft Telecom Authorisation Rules 2025.
The government wants a single license for all telecom services—satellite, mobile, and internet—instead of separate ones.
The Broadband India Forum (BIF), speaking for the satellite sector, says satellite internet should be its own category with lower entry fees and simpler rules.
BIF calls terms 'commercially unviable'
The draft rules want satellite firms to pay a ₹12 crore entry fee and keep a ₹44 crore bank guarantee—way higher than the ₹50 lakh each suggested by TRAI.
BIF calls these terms "disproportionate" and "commercially unviable" and worries they'll slow down growth for services that currently reach about 300,000 users in India.
Other countries like the UK and Germany have their own licenses just for satellite internet, recognizing the unique infrastructure and investment cycles of satellite services.